Link's Defeat
by Zenight
Summary: A tale of a darker nature, this short prose tells what may have happened had Link failed to disband the King of Evil in the final showdown. ...through Zelda's eyes.


_Link's Defeat_

A crack of blinding light flashed through the stained-glass panes as another powerful bolt of magic streaked wildly across the castle chamber. Link, too weary to glance up at the blinding projectile careening towards him, merely yelped in fierce pain as the ball of energy struck its target dead-on. The tremendous blast launched him across the room and through a stained-glass window, countless shards of shattered glass only compounding the pain. Zelda's screams, though sharp and shrill, were powerless to stop the destruction of the green-clad hero. Ganondorf simply smirked and chuckled as another magic orb materialized across his palm.

"What's the matter, boy?" Ganondorf's booming, hoarse laughter shook the tower walls. "Have you never seen power like this?" His laughter grew louder as the matured ball of energy left his palm and flung itself at its target.

"Ganondorf, you wicked, wicked man!" Zelda's scorn could not retain her tears. Against her will, her eyes glanced and fixed on Link, his green garments reduced to rags from intense combat, his hair thick with grime and sweat. A pitiful sight. Their eyes met for an instant before the second magic orb obeyed its master's command and engulfed Link in a sphere of fiery light.

Zelda thrust a bitter fist against her glass imprisonment, attempting to shatter the violet barrier separating her from Link, but in vain. Her hand bounced back upon impact, leaving the glass surface uncracked, unchipped. Even her own magic was ineffective against her entrapment.

"_Link, I want to save you!" _she shouted repeatedly.

"Nothing can save your hero, princess. Watch him die." Ganondorf muttered with twisted joy.

"...And as for you, boy...", his sinister hand flew up to command a finishing blow. His fingers clenched around the newborn orb and coarsed a bolt of power through his palm. A twisted smile curled his thin lips, moist with delighted malice.

Zelda could feel her body being torn to pieces, whether it were imaginary or real, she couldn't tell, nor did she care. The maddening pain felt the same either way. How she desired the power of a mighty goddess to put a swift stop to Ganondorf's cruelty. She disregarded the Triforce of Wisdom. It was useless to her now, a mere toy.

She hated to look at him, but a quick glance at _him _brought her blood to a boil. He just stood there, grinning, like he enjoyed killing, the sick man. She watched, paralyzed, as the magic orb grew larger under its master's care, nurtured with every potent drop of the Triforce of Power. That was how Link was to die. First her father and now her beloved. She couldn't let that happen. She _would_ not.

_"Link, I _will _save you!" _she shouted and garnered every last bit of strength coursing through her arms. Link's eyes widened as the Master Sword began to cast blinding beams of blue light. Ganondorf unleashed the final orb to do away with Link. It streaked ahead but rebounded at the touch of the legendary blade. The orb betrayed its master and smashed into his chest, dispelling his power temporarily. The dark man plummeted to the ground and hit his head on the rich marble floor, a fresh wound spouting a trickle of bright blood. Link stood stunned for a moment and regained his senses at the sight of Ganondorf Dragmire sprawled on the ground, teeth and fists clenched.

The light from the Master Sword dissipated. All was deathly dark again.

At once, Ganondorf screamed in a fit of rage and thrust a powerful bolt of electricity into Link. Zelda watched in abrupt horror as the crackling surge struck him and pierced right through his heart, silencing whatever faint pulse kept him on his feet. His eyes flashed with fierce shock and then ...lifeless. The corpse collapsed.

Ganondorf lunged and shook the dead boy with a single fist, gloating in vile triumph. His face transformed into a callous grin. Immediately, he raised his palm. The Triforce pieces of Power and Courage were one again, growing more and more radiant in the hand of a new master.

Zelda gazed at her own hand and saw whatever light her piece retained begin to wane, fading fast. Her eyes darkened, but shed no tears. Her body had grown ice cold, like death absorbed all her warmth yet for whatever reason allowed her heart to continue beating. Her last hope had vanished - now a vain plea to the gods.

Link was gone.

~ The End ~


End file.
